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Stewart Eyes Ranger Defense

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As easily as he glided over National Hockey League rinks for 21 campaigns, Ron Stewart yesterday officially took over the job of coaching the Rangers, a post that has been as secure as tightrope walking.

But unlike two previous coaches who were hired by Emile Francis then discharged before the season's end, Stewart did not once mention Francis in a 40‐minute discussion of his new job.

When Bernard (Boom Boom) Geoffrion was named coach in 1968, he spent most of the news conference thanking Francis and saying how he hoped to follow in Francis's footsteps, and when Larry Popein was elevated to the job from the minor leagues two years ago, he also referred often to Francis, a small man Who cast a large shadow.

Francis has been the Ranger coach three times. He discharged Red Sullivan in 1965, then dismissed Gooffrion and Popein after each had been on the job about three months. Francis remains as general manager under a long‐term, lucrative deal.

His immediate chore will be to lop off about 50 of the total goals scored against the Rangers. In the last campaign the New Yorkers yielded 276 goals—second worst in their history, and 25 more than the season before and 68 more than two seasons ago.

He said ?? attention to defense “will start from Day One of training camp.”

Although he was known as a player who savored the good life, he said that he had a list of rules that he carried with him during the, last two seasons while coach ing, in the minor leagues, “Instead of having the names of Portland and Springfield on top of the rules,” he said, “we'll just cross them ?? and write in ‘New York.’”

Stewart impressed Rangerwatchers with his performance yesterday. He admitted he was “a little jealous of younger players earning. high salaries (“I wish I was as young myself”) and he indicated he could be flexible in dealing with players.

“My only problem going into Portland was I had expected too much,” he explained. “The only hockey I had seen for 21 years was the National Hockey League. But we got to know each other.”

He became coach of Portland of the Western League when the franchise was about to expire in the 1973‐74 season. Instead, the club finished third and made it to the finals—losing in the sixth game. In the campaign just finished he piloted a Springfield team that had finished last in the American league to fourth place and the league championship in the playoffs.

His captain on the Rangers will be Brad Park, who said yesterday, “He's the coach, and so anything he wants us to do—well, we're going to do it.”

Park conceded that “the Rangers had too many goals against, that's obvious.” He said the club could change its style. “We have enough offense to take care of itself. Stewie knows enough about defense to correct us.”

Significantly, the decision to hire Stewart was made by Bill Jennings, the Rangers' president, along with Francis and Alan Cohen the president of the Madison Square Garden Corporation. While many other Garden executives have lost their jobs, or had their positions weakened since Cohen took over, Jennings has remained in a strong post.

Cohen said that he had interviewed Stewart to determine “whether he's got the qualities of leadership and integrity, and can he make this club move. I'm satisfied he can.”

The next people Stewart must satisfy are the Rangers, a high‐scoring team that fell into sloppy habits last season. How well he subordinates their natural instincts to be scoring heroes probably will determine whether he is able to keep Francis in the front office.

A version of this archives appears in print on May 20, 1975, on Page L31 of the New York edition with the headline: Stewart Eyes Ranger Defense. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe